Jemaa el-Fnaa

Jemaa el-Fnaa

Jemaa el-Fnaa

Jemaa el-Fnaa (Arabic: ساحة جامع الفناء saaHat jamaaʻ al-fanâʼ, also Jemaa el-Fna, Djema el-Fna or Djemaa el-Fnaa) is a square and market place in Marrakesh’s medina quarter (old city). It remains the main square of Marrakesh, used by locals and tourists.

The origin of its name is unclear: jamaa means “congregation” in Arabic, probably referring to a destroyed Almoravid mosque. Fnaʼ or finâʼ can mean “death” or “a courtyard, space in front of a building”. “finâʼ in Arabic commonly means “open area”; a straight translation would be “the gathering/congregation area”. Other meanings could be “The assembly of death,” or “The Mosque at the End of the World”.[1] Another explanation is that it refers to a mosque with a distinctive courtyard or square in front of it.[2] A third translation is “assembly of the dead”, referring to public executions on the plaza around 1050 AD

Marrakesh was founded by the Almoravid Dynasty 1070-1072. After a destructive struggle, it fell to the Almohads in 1147.

Subsequently,

with the fortunes of the city,

Jamaa el Fna saw periods of decline and also renewal,

As the day progresses, the entertainment on offer changes: the snake charmers depart, and late in the day the square becomes more crowded, with Chleuh dancing-boys (it would be against custom for girls to provide such entertainment), story-tellers (telling their tales in Berber or Arabic, to an audience of locals), magicians, and peddlers of traditional medicines.

As darkness falls, the square fills with dozens of food-stalls as the number of people on the square peaks.

Unfortunately there are no accommodations at this location at the moment.

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AN eight-year-old is on the top of the world after becoming the youngest UK child to have successfully tackled a 4,000 metre mountain climb.Sam Ford, along with his parents, Martin and Helen, have conquered Mount Toubkal in Morocco in aid of St Helena Hospice.Sam took on the challenge in memory of his grandad, John Walker, who was cared for by the hospice.The trio, from Colchester, started the challenge on April 11, trekking over five days to acclimatise to the altitude, before reaching the summit at 4,167m on day six.They reached the summit after a nine-hour trek, which was made even more difficult with winds of up to 70mph.Martin said it was a “life-changing experience”.Sam added: “I’m really proud of my achievement and would like to do it again.“It got a bit tough when I got above the snow line and had to take my crampons off my shoes for a short while to get over a rocky section.“That was tough and a little scary.”Martin has submitted an application for Sam to be awarded a Guinness World Record as the youngest child in the UK to reach the summit. He is also only the fourth child aged under 11 to scale such heights.He decided he wanted to climb a mountain after his dad told him he would climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in October.Sam’s grandmother gave him one of his grandad’s watches before the trek and he took that with him up the mountain.He has raised almost £2,000 so far for the hospice.more

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